Craig Roberts

Tyquana Henderson-Parsons Founder

From her first foray into community-based organizing and advocacy at age 12 as a member of the 79th Precinct Youth Council, to the founding of her own political and public affairs firm Connective Strategies, LLC in 2008, Tyquana Henderson-Parsons has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to productive change and social progress.

She has put her passion and skills to work on behalf of progressive causes, groups and elected officials for more than 20 years, most recently for Connective Strategies, LLC. clients that have included Congressman Ed Towns, Assemblyman Jeff Aubry, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Councilman Ruben Wills, Yoswein New York, Bolton St. John and the Center for Law and Social Justice. Tyquana’s reputation as a tireless worker and consummate professional precedes her from City Hall to Albany.

Her first notable successes in neighborhood-based activism came in high school, when she organized fellow teens in the wake of the Rodney King verdict. She caught the attention of Councilmember Thomas White Jr., who offered her an internship and over the next several years mentored her and helped Tyquana learn the ins and outs of effective community representation. She started the Young Networkers of Tomorrow, a youth organization committed to political participation and community service, and secured the group a first ever “Stop the Violence” grant. She chaired the Queens Student Advisory Council, received a scholarship from the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators and was profiled in the New York Daily News for her civic involvement.

As a staunch believer in the political process, Tyquana has worked tirelessly on campaigns that she believes will improve the quality of community life. She participated in the first Union Summer sponsored by the AFL-CIO, which trained her to become a skilled community and grassroots organizer. Later, Tyquana worked for the New York State Democratic Committee’s Coordinated Campaigns, and in 1998, 2000 and 2002 played key roles in these and several citywide campaigns.

Tyquana’s background in government includes serving on the staffs of U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, Council Member Bill de Blasio and on the central staff of the New York City Council.

Tyquana left government in 2003 to serve as an account executive at Yoswein New York, one of the top ten lobbying and public affairs firms in New York City. Tyquana gained valuable government relations experience and insight representing organizations ranging from the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and Bailey House to SUNY Downstate and IKEA. For example, while at Yoswein New York she served as the lead community organizer for the development and approval of the IKEA Brooklyn store and was instrumental in developing a one-of-a-kind, IKEA-funded pre-employment job training program for neighborhood residents.

Tyquana, who holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, continues to fight the good fight in communities across New York.